


In the aching night under satellites

by Jualis



Series: Peace in Vinland is only a pipe dream [1]
Category: Vinland Saga (Anime), Vinland Saga (Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anxiety Attacks, Canon-Typical Violence, Depression, Foster Care, Found Family, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nightmares, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Past Torture, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Threats of Violence, it has both sappy moments but also those moments that hit you RIGHT in the heart, its for vinland saga its gonna have some heavy stuff in it, past Canute/Thorfinn, this fic is both sad and happy at the same time, thorkells in this fic what do you expect
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 03:34:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21292952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jualis/pseuds/Jualis
Summary: Thorfinn, aged 19, is at the bleakest and most empty time in his life when he meets a man who changes him, allowing him to pull himself out of the abyss and into what the future holds.
Relationships: Einar/Thorfinn (Vinland Saga)
Series: Peace in Vinland is only a pipe dream [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1534964
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	In the aching night under satellites

**Author's Note:**

> This whole fic is 1. how I show my undivided love for Vinland Saga as well as coping until the next chapter comes out and 2. an experiment to see how much i can push my writing and how much I can write

His hands stung, wood digging into his palms, rubbing harshly against his callouses. Tilling fields was tough, but he’d never been opposed to some hard work. It’s what he’d become accustomed to in the last year or so of his life, even if he still was left with an emotional crevice. Thorfinn could almost feel the whole in his chest, aching as he continued to live day after day. No matter how much he forced his emotions deeper inside of him, ignoring them for as long as he could. 

Thorfinn had been working at the same farm since the day he turned eighteen, no longer being allowed to stay in the foster system and instead forced to work off his community service. He’d gotten off fairly lightly considering he’d spent almost seven years killing other humans for the mafia who’d killed his own father. Ever since Canute betrayed Askeladd and had their whole group slaughtered Thorfinn had felt nothing but emptiness.

Quite the way to break up with someone. 

Thorfinn’d lost all his reasons for living in an instant, his revenge was stolen from him, his boyfriend broke up with him, and he was arrested. Not only that but he’d gone through a myriad of various court proceedings, the longer time went on the less connected to himself he felt. By the grace of god he’d managed to get off with a relatively light sentancing, just being in jail until he turned 18, where he’d do community service until all his court debts were payed off. 

He didn’t know either way of Ketil had hired him out of pity or not, but frankly he didn’t care. Thorfinn didn’t care about much of anything anymore. He’d contemplated suicide, but had decided that it’d be too much work to find his way around his parole officers in order to find the right supplies. So he’d given up on it, letting the days fall into monotony. 

Except when they weren't. 

Ketil had hired someone new to work on planting wheat with Thorfinn, his name was Einar. He was a tall, muscular, and sociable man who was seemingly hellbent on asking Thorfinn questions instead of letting him work in silence. There was something nice about it, even if he couldn’t quite bring himself to truly bother paying attention to his new field partner. 

Their conversations had remained short, awkward small talk up until the sun was beginning to set and their shifts would be ending. They’d finished planting almost an entire four pound bag of seeds. Einar had already talked about that when he’d sprung the question on Thorfinn. 

“So, why are you here?” 

In response to the question Thorfinn tensed, not knowing how to answer his question. He’d only known Einar for a day but he could tell the man was genuine, expressing his emotions openly. He didn’t care if people saw him emote, he certainly had the energy for it. Thorfinn didn’t know how to answer, but he certainly didn’t want to lie. 

“Community Service”. Once he answered Thorfinn could tell that Einar had paused to respond, not only verbally but he physically stopped planting the seeds. Standing up while holding the bag against his hip in support. 

“Wow, that’s rough, what are you gonna do when you’re done?”. Einar’s tone wasn’t patronizing, he was asking a question he was simply curious about. He wanted to know more about his coworker, since he already figured they’d be working together for a while. 

“Don’t know”. Thankfully Einar seemed to accept that response, not asking questions for the rest of the time they worked on the fields. When Thorfinn started to grab the equipment and leftover seed bags and walk towards the buildings Einar followed suit. The sun had set and they’d be off work, so Thorfinn expected to be able to go back to Ketil’s attic and be alone. 

But he wasn’t. 

Einar hadn’t left his side, walking in the same direction towards the main house. Ketil was on the porch to greet them, explaining to Thorfinn that Einar would be staying in the attic with him. Apparently Einar had arrived much earlier to the farm than he thought and had already moved his few things into the attic. The most surprising thing in the moment though was how Einar was surprised that Thorfinn didn’t already know he was moving in. 

Ketil just laughed and told them to go relax for now, that they could have whatever was left over from dinner. That none of the dinner expenses would be put on their payroll, Thorfinn was grateful. Einar complained under his breath once Ketil headed towards the attic. Thorfinn did as he usually did upon finishing his shifts and just layed on the old futon he called a bed. 

Einar had only moved with a few boxes of personal items, quickly unpacking. Through his unpacking Thorfinn had gained that Einar was a compassionate person, asking Thorfinn if he was okay with where he was putting any object that took up any space at all. The closet had it’s own conversation over, a conversation lead primarily by Einar, but a conversation none the less. Thankfully once he’d finished the attic grew quiet until Arnheid knocked. 

Arnheid was the only other live in worker, she was the families personal maid. But she really bordered on a servant, she did essentially everything the family didn’t want to do. She cleaned, cooked, did the laundry, as well as a long list of other things. She was kind, and even if Thorfinn had never really bothered to pay attention to their brief interactions were nice. 

As if on queue Thorfinn got out of bed and walked towards the door, letting Arnheid in. Usually she’d open the door herself but now she was holding two plates of leftover food that she’d reheated. Thorfinn grabbed his plate from her hands and walked over towards his bed, sitting quietly and eating. It was routine, he no longer felt any need to mutter out a half assed thank you. 

Einar on the other hand seemed somewhat stunned by her apperance, Thorfinn had never really thought about it before but she was attractive. Unlike with Thorfinn when he thanked her she responded, the two had a short conversation before she told them to just leave the dishes at the door and she’d come get them soon enough.

  


The next day was essentially the same, only with Thorfinn getting used to Einar’s presence on the farm. Wakeup, have their small breakfast, go out and work until lunch, return to the field work after lunch, than stop for dinner and do whatever they pleased until they fell asleep. 

And just like every other night Thorfinn was easily able to fall asleep, but he never slept well. His dreams where rattled with nightmares that he could never quite remember once he woke up. But every night he would wake up yelling and drenched in sweat, only for it to be extremely difficult for him to fall asleep afterwards. This had happened every single night since what had happened with Canute, with Askkelad’s death. 

This night was no different. Thorfinn would moan and talk in his sleep, thrashing around with his face twisted in horror. He had no idea how much commotion he’d been causing until he’d been snapped awake, Einar sitting on the edge of his futon and holding him by his shoulders. 

“Thorfinn, are you okay?”

It was a dumb question, Einar knew that and yet he still asked it. His voice oozing with concern. Thorfinn could feel how warm Einar’s hands where, and even if he never responded to him Einar didn’t leave until he could tell Thorfinn had calmed down. Only once even the blonde’s breathing had calmed did he stand up go back to bed. 

Once the panic had completely subsided confusion washed over Thorfinn, making him realize just how strange the whole interaction was. He hadn’t experienced any sort of real kindness in years, and here Einar was, a man he’d met literally the day before, was snapping him out of his nightmares before he could wake up screaming. Thornfin wasn’t able to sleep for the next couple hours as he laid perfectly still, replaying the situation in his head until he fell back into a short sleep

The next morning went by as normal until the two of them where back in the fields planting seeds. Unlike the last two days they were relatively silent in their planting, the only sounds between the two of them where their foot steps, the rustle of seeds being pulled from the bag, and the sound of the tools they used. This last for a few hours, for a while it seemed peaceful but it soon grew to be tense and uncomfortable. 

That was when Einar yelled, scaring Thorfinn half to death and making him drop his hoe. That was the first real emotion other than unbridled nightmare panic that Thorfinn had shared with Einar, especially the startled face he made when he whipped around to look at Einar. 

“Alright I need answers! What the hell happened last night?”, Einars voice was just as strong as the one he used when he yelled. He wasn’t giving Thorfinn much of an option, he was going to get answers from him. 

A silence fell between them as Thorfinn gathered his thoughts, he knew that Einar wouldn’t except him blowing the situation off. The man wanted a legitimate answer, but Thorfinn wasn’t entirely sure how to give him one. The prospect of facing his nightmares scared him, and little served to scare him anymore. 

“It was a nightmare”

Okay, that was a pretty vague answer, even Thorfinn could admit it. Although the longer he waited he could feel the anxiety welling up in him. He could barely remember the nightmares, and something in him knew on a primal level that he really didn’t want to. 

“Yeah, but what was it about?”, Einar’s voice was softer, the frustration falling from his voice as he coaxed Thorfinn to talk. 

“I..”, Thorfinn paused, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously, “I don’t remember, I always forget it once I wake up”

Thorfinn wasn’t lying, he really couldn’t remember any of his nightmares. He didn’t know what made him thrash and scream, he didn’t think nor want to think about what it was. He didn’t think knowing what his nightmares were would help in any kind of way. 

“That’s…….rough, is there anything I can do to help you?” 

When the conversation had broken out the two of them had stopped their work, Einar fully focused on getting information out of Thorfinn and the latter not wanting to lament any of the intimate bits and pieces of his past to someone he’d only met a couple days prior. 

As the two of them began working again, Einar excepted Thorfinn’s silent answer to his question. He didn’t think Einar could do anything to help him with this problem, it seemed pretty out of his league in terms of helpfulness. Einar couldn’t stop his roommate from having nightmares, but he could at least wake him up before they got bad. 

Even if it had only been a day or so they’d managed to finish off almost an entire acre of land, all planted and full of seeds. As they walked back to the house for lunch there was a silent agreement between the two of them that they’d ask Ketil which section of the farm to plant next. 

It was that lunch when Einar got to meet the other workers on the farm. They didn’t go by their actual names and Thorfinn had never thought to ask, even if they weren’t reprehensible people the blonde had no real motive to conversate. Einar on the other hand was ready to argue back with them before Arnheid left the house to give the two the same leftover’s they eat every single day. 

Einar had a soft spot for the woman, that much was obvious. He’d go from angry to subdued whenever she appeared, it’s as if she’d placed him in a trance. Thorfinn guessed anyone would fall into that trance, Arnheid was just too nice. Their interactions had always been peaceful, even the other workers were nice to her. 

The two eat their lunch on the back porch instead of the front, opposite of the other workers before going to ask Ketil what to do next. The older man was actually fairly surprised with the advancement, considering it usually took Thorfinn around a week or so to finish the same amount of land that the two of them had. 

The next few weeks were relatively the same, rinse and repeat of the same schedule over and over again. They two of them fell into a relative familiarity, doing the same thing repeatedly for almost a month. 

Even Thorfinn’s nightmares were the same. He could barely remember anything and he’d wake up drenched in a cold sweat, Einar sitting over him with his hands on his shoulders. It was reassuring, he was appreciable about it for the first week or so, but he soon admitted to himself that it was better for Einar to wake him up than wake up screaming. 

This night had been the same, Einar had sat with him until he calmed. The only thing differing from every other night was that Thorfinn asked a question. 

“Why do you wake me up?” 

“When you have your nightmares?” Einar asked, a confused look on his face as his hands slowly released Thorfinn’s shoulders. Once his hands dropped to his sides Thorfinn nodded, albeit sheepishly. 

“It’s because we’re friends”, And with that Einar smiled. Even in the dim light of the the downstairs hallway that streamed through the cracks in the attic door Thorfinn could tell that he smiled, it was soft and reassuring. The only option he left Thorfinn with was to except it, and for once when Einar went back to his bed, Thorfinn was able to easily fall asleep.

It took surprisingly long to get Einar to open up about his past. It was over a month before Thorfinn got the answer out of him. Turns out it wasn’t even as bad as Thorfinn’s, Einar was broke, extremely broke, and on top of that he was in debt. Over the last few years he’d been working odd jobs in order to pay it off, but had accepted Ketil’s offer to work for him because he offered health care and most of the other’s didn’t. 

The two had began to open up to each other, Thorfinn was becoming less tense around Einar than before. Slowly over the next few months his shoulder’s became more loose and he began to actually show what little emotion’s that would break through the thick fog of his depression. He actually began seriously talking with Einar while they worked. 

The two where walking back to the store house for another seed bag when they saw someone passed out in the field. Dropping any intention of gathering the seed bag the two of them ran over, what they found was a short elderly man face down next to a small bag of his own seed. Freaking out Einar tried to shake him awake before Thorfinn stopped him, checking the man’s pulse. 

Thankfully he was still alive, and not knowing who he was they decided they’d just take him to the main house. Thorfinn helped lift the elderly man into his friends shoulder’s, running alongside him as they made their way to the main house. Thankfully Ketil was on the porch and when the two of them ran up he didn’t seem too surprised, but thanked them none the less. 

Turns out the old man was Ketil’s father, who had been told not to push himself out working in the fields, but had done so anyway. He lived in a small house not far the main one, Thorfinn and Einar had seen it plenty of times but had never really deeply questioned it. 

After being thanked the two went back to working. Once more falling back into the monotony of their everyday lives. That monotony only lasted until dinner when the man they’d found, Sverkell, as he’d introduced himself, although without much tact. He was the kind of old man who didn’t see why he had to have class, he’d been polite his entire life, so why shouldn’t he get to stop now. 

Without an explanation he simply ordered the two to follow him, when they began to walk he’d lead them right to his house, telling them to come in. Without objection they followed him in, the house he stayed in may have been small compared to the main one, but it was definitely a cozy one. 

The two of them weren’t exactly expecting to see Snake, who was considered the head of the farm under Ketil and his sons, was passed out and sleeping like a rock. It was weird to see the contrast of such a strong and imposing man with him completely unconscious on a couch like nothing else in the world really mattered. No one really knew what Snakes name was, and no one dared to ask. Whatever Snake’s actual name was no one ever bothered, or were too afraid, to ask him. 

While the two young men stood in the living room transfixed on the unfamiliarity of the house Sverkell had already began stopping his way into the kitchen, grunting to call to their attention he beckoned them in with him. He pointed at the table, commanding them to sit. Sverkell was a man of few words, not needing to speak to someone when he could just as easily get his point across without verbal language. 

Never the less the two of them sat in a pregnant silence as they watched the old man cook, as timed passed on with no words said it became obvious how quiet the house really was. They could hear just about every noise that fell through the house, the soft creak of the floorboards as Sverkell moved throughout the kitchen to gather supplies, to the wind chimes outside that had decided to make their presence known. 

That was until Snake broke the silence, heaving himself off the couch and walking into the kitchen. Grumbling about dinner and how the old man hadn’t woke him up he would have missed it completely despite him waking up on his own. Sverkell responded to these comments, beginning to bicker with Snake before he even noticed the other two where there. 

“Ah, who’re you?”, Snake asked, both surprise, confusion, and a hint of vigor in his voice. He had every right to be, since unbeknownst to Einar and Thorfinn, Snake lived in this tiny little house with Sverkell. 

“Oh I’m Einar, I recently got hired to work with Thorfinn in the fields”, as usual Einar’s voice was warm, it held no restrictions in being kind. Thorfinn, not content to go speaking just yet simply nodded in response, signally who Einar had been talking about. 

Snake just hummed, satisfied with the answer he’d been given, choosing instead to busy himself with sitting down at the table alongside with the other two. They didn’t have to wait long for Sverkell to be finished, accompanying them at the table. He placed the bowl of soup inbetween them all, as well as handing out bowls. 

Dinner was peaceful. It was the first really fulfilling meal Einar and Thorfinn had eaten in a while, Thorfinn having accepted his fate of leftovers and Einar being too poor to afford proper food before he began working for Ketil. So to get not only a hardy meal but to get it for free, it bordered on a miracle to the two of them. 

Over the course of the dinner they’d grown to like, or in Thorfinn’s case, at least tolerate Snake. They didn’t have to fear for their life around him as they did before when they persieved him as some ruthless thug that controlled the other workers with an iron fist. He was quick witted, dealing out ruthless verbal blows to Sverkell, who in turn dealt them back. Under all their bickering there was a playful nature to it, and the way Snake talked about Sverkell was so drastically different from how Ketil did. 

It was hard for the two to go back, pulling themselves away from the house with order’s of Sverkell to, in his words, “get the hell out”. Even if his words seemed rough like gravel there was a certain kindness underneath, he was grumpy yes but he also cared for others even if he would never admit it. 

They knew that they were free to essentially did as they pleased once their shift was over, yet the two of them felt like children sneaking back in after curfew. Despite this there was also a feeling of satisfaction, for the first time in month’s the two of them had been truly happy. It was nice, extremely nice. 

Soon enough joining Sverkell for dinner, as well as doing various chores for him, became part of Einar and Thorfinn’s schedule. They became fairly friendly with the old man, no matter how grumpy he was, when they snapped or joked they didn’t fear being fired or punished. That much was evidenced by Snake, who was the perfect representation of Sverkell’s encouragement of friendly bickering. 

Over the next couple months Thorfinn and Einar became closer as well, they lived together so it was hard not to. Almost every single night Einar would wake Thorfinn up, interrupting his nightmares, and as time went on he began to hold Thorfinn just a little bit longer, just a little bit closer. 

Einar’s body was strong, he was solid. His presence was grounding, keeping Thorfinn from slipping even further as he woke. They became so close that Thorfinn would count Einar’s breath’s in order to settle his own. 

This comfort all came to a head one night, as usual Thorfinn thrashed and moaned in his sleep, as usual Einar rouse from bed and went over to wake him. They went through their normal routine, Einar shaking Thorfinn awake only for Thorfinn to cling to him. Only today was slightly different, even if Thorfinn couldn’t remember it the nightmare wasn’t normal. It was more intense, it left him shaking more than usual, it left him almost on the brink of tears. 

Einar could tell that Thorfinn didn’t want him to pull away, and he was perfectly content in not moving. If Thorfinn needed him to hold him for longer, than he would do so. The two sat like that for almost thirty minuets, but as Einar began to pull away Thorfinn grabbed a hold of his arm. 

“Lay with me”

Thorfinn’s voice was small, shaking with everyword he pushed out. Even in the darkness he looked as if he was going to cry, there was something about this that Einar couldn’t say no to. He knew that if he left Thorfinn alone in his bed that he would immediately break, Einar found himself caring too much about the other man to allow himself to do that. 

From there on out the exchange was silent, with Einar slipping under the cover’s of the old and worn out futon that Thorfinn called a bed. Once he was successfully under the covers he felt Thorfinn inch closer, pressing himself up against him. He was listening to Einar’s heartbeat, steady in his chest. Shifting Einar wrapped his arms around him, letting them comfortably rest on Thorfinn’s shoulders. 

It was a tender moment, Thorfinn had laid himself bare, emotional cavity open and raw. He was allowing himself to vulnerable in front of Einar, when so often he was so reserved and hesitant with others. Over the last eight months he’d only ever reached the level of short surface level conversations with Arnhield, yet here he was open and bare. 

The next morning when they woke neither of them commented on it, simply falling back into their normal everyday routine. They were out working in the fields again when Einar spoke up again, commenting on the cold. It was getting colder, autumn would fall behind them as winter approached. They’d have to harvest the onions and spinach soon, those crops particularly enjoyed the cold weather. 

The cool air was a nice reprieve from the sun baring down on them during the summer months, tanning and tinting their skin. It’s not as if working in the sun was awful when the weather was warm, but it only served to make the two of them sluggish. Autumn was the season that they proved to be the most productive. 

None the less their generalized awkwardness about what had happened the night prior hung in the air, they both felt it but hesitated to acknowledge it. A nervousness grew in the pit of Thorfinn’s stomach, he’d been opening up to Einar but he’d begun to worry if he’d push it too far. And for once in his life he’d held his tongue and refrained from confronting the object of his emotions. That nervousness lasted all morning, gnawing at him all the while and unbeknownst to Thorfinn Einar’s mind was subjecting them to a similar experience. 

They worked like this for hour’s until lunch hour came, Einar leading Thorfinn under a tree to block them from the sun. Neither of them were hungry and chose instead to relax, at least that’s what they were supposed to do, yet instead the awkwardness of the morning had followed them to the tree. 

Thorfinn didn’t know the emotion that had been eating away at him for the past few hours, he couldn’t quite place it. But, it felt like anxiety, guilt, longing, and several other unidentifiable emotion’s all poured into a blender and placed on high. But instead of being placed in a fancy cup for some rich and entitled white mom to buy at an outragiously high price it was Thorfinn’s stomach and there was no cup and no rich white mom. 

“So um”, Einar started to only be cut off by Thorfinn. 

“I’m sorry” 

“What was-”, Einar cut himself off, confusion plastered against his features, “Why’re you apologizing? Was it last night, you don’t have to be ashamed of that, if you needed me to stay with you than it’s not a problem. Thorfinn, you’re allowed to be vulnerable” 

Thorfinn was left speechless, Einar had somehow managed to both point out his fears and hesitations and comfort him about them. Thorfinn hadn’t truly been reassured since he was a small child, there was something about it that felt comforting and warm, but also frightening. He’d tried to regain his bearings, gather himself, or control and suffocate this strange and usual feeling. But before he could even make the attempt Einar had cut him out of it through the vessel of a concerned facial expression. 

He didn’t know why just a simple semi concerned facial expression from Einar was enough to make him cease his track of thought, he didn’t know why Einar had that kind of power over him. He supposed it was similar to how he and Canute’s relationship was, but he didn’t want to think about it now, to afraid to face the possibility of Canute only dating him in order to get to Askkelad. And even then, Einar’s attention felt more genuine, more open, more warm. 

Thorfinn just nodded, and Einar seemed to accept the acknowledgment. 

Lunch hour came to an end and the two of them had to go back to work, walking back to the field where they’d laid the bag of seed. Their day from then on out went pretty much as usual, except as they’d eaten dinner, showered, and begun preparing for bed. That’s when Einar asked the question.   


“If it’s alright, can I lay with you again tonight? That way when I wake you up from your nightmares I can calm you down quicker?”   


Einar wasn’t vary good at hiding his affections, and Thorfinn could pick up on that. It was more obvious with Arnheid, but he could still tell the other was feeling the same confusing and gut gnawing emotions as Thorfinn. And he wasn’t wrong, logically if Einar laid with him then he would be quicker to wake up. In the end Thorfinn just nodded, walking towards his shitty futon as Einar followed.   


Although Thorfinn had expected to immediately back out of the situation as soon as Einar entered the bed alongside of him in an irrational fear of actually facing the affection he held for the other man, he didn't. Einar's body was strong and sturdy, and instead of feeling like an imposing force barring down on and trapping him against his will, instead it was calming. Instead of a cage Einar felt like a shield, protecting him from the harsh realities of Thorfinn's past memories. The two men weren't even touching each other passed whatever body parts happened to be pushed against each other due to the relatively small space of the twin sized futon they currently were sharing. Yet here they were, laying right next to each other in the same bed. It felt like something out of a shitty romance novel, but it was real. It was awkward and soft and warm and real.  
  
Despite this Einar's presence was calming, the sound of his breathing lulling Thorfinn to sleep as he counted each breath the other man took until he slipped into unconsciousness. When Thorfinn was woken up later in the night it was before his nightmare entered the stages that would leave Thorfinn on the brink of a panic attack as he was shaken awake, but since Einar was right next to him and able to catch it early Thorfinn was instead only rattled. He was still shaking of course, but he wasn't heaving or holding his breath to keep himself from crying.   
  
Even if he wasn't worse off than usual Einar still went through the normal routine of moving Thorfinn into a sitting position and holding him until he calmed, although as if the night couldn't differ any more Thorfinn leaned in and hugged him. Trembling as Einar moved his arms to rest on Thorfinn's shoulders as the two of them sat in the dark, quietly waiting as Thorfinn calmed himself down. Feeling that he'd stopped trembling Einar moved them both back down against the bed, still holding and allowing the other to keep himself right against his chest. Whether Thorfinn was counting his breaths or listening to his heart beat Einar didn't know, and to him it didn't matter, all that mattered to him in the moment was that Thorfinn was finally beginning to calm himself down and fall asleep again.   
  
The next day came and went and Einar sleeping alongside of Thorfinn became another normal part of their routine just as meeting up with Sverkell had. It was the spark that started the forest fire, setting them ablaze. From that day onward the gap between them began to shorten and shorten, they went from "blood brothers" to something akin to a relationship, although neither of them wanted to face their embarrassment and actually declare it official despite it beginning beyond obvious to almost everyone on the farm who bothered to pay any attention at all to the two of them. 

**Author's Note:**

> I promise I'll actually try to update this thing. 
> 
> Whole fic lowkey inspired by @crazytwirlcurls on tumblr's bomb ass artwork, you can find it here: 
> 
> https://crazytwirlcurls.tumblr.com/post/188015157455/i-just-hope-there-were-some-times-when-einar-would#notes


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